A New Tried and True

Alliteration and rhyming today.

I made up Burda 6329 a few weeks ago but I did not like the fact that the sleeve pattern piece had a shoulder dart in it. That pattern is designed for knit fabrics. I thought the dart was unnecessary and unattractive, so I re-drafted the top of the sleeve without it. Yesterday morning, I ran up a quick muslin to check the fit.

Close, but not quite. I had pulling at the shoulders. I generally like raglan tops because I have broad shoulders, but these sleeves needed more breathing room. I did a broad shoulder adjustment according to this tutorial on the 5 out of 4 Patterns website, then ran up another muslin out of some double-brushed poly from the Walmart remnant rack. I wasn’t crazy about the print—it was intended for use as a muslin all along—but now that the top is done, I like it very much.

It fits beautifully. I could live in Laundry Day Tees, but some of the fabrics in my stash are only two-yard lengths. The LDT needs about 2-1/2 yards because of the width of the front and back pieces that create the swing. I can get Burda 6329 out of two yards, and it’s dressier than a plain T-shirt thanks to those pleats at the front neckline.

Speaking of LDTs, I hemmed two more yesterday, as well. I’ve never been much for tie-dye, but I love these colors and this rayon spandex has a lovely feel and drape:

This black floral print is also rayon spandex, but in a lighter weight. It’s also a Walmart remnant rack find. It doesn’t feel like a very good fabric to me, to be honest—certainly not as nice as the tie-dye fabric—but I liked the print.

So that’s three tops added to the closet and another pattern added to the tried-and-true pile. I’ll probably run up a couple more using Burda 6329. I have two lengths of knits with chickens on them that are begging to be made into tops.

**************

I did my first podcast interview yesterday. It is destined for next week’s episode. I asked my friend JC Briar if she would be my first victim interviewee. JC was my tech editor for my Twists and Turns cable newsletter and my Aran and cable books. She is also a teacher and designer in her own right, as well as the author of Charts Made Simple and the mastermind behind Stitch-Maps charting software. Like many of us during the pandemic, JC turned to sewing, and now does the most fascinating improv quilting. You can follow her on Instagram at JC.Briar. (Make sure you include that period in her name.) I thought it would be fun to talk to her and I knew she would be understanding if things went sideways.

The recording went off without a hitch. It’s about 30 minutes long. We could have gone on gabbing—and I am hoping we can get together in person next summer—but I thought that was a good first effort. I can always have her back on the podcast. And now I feel more confident about asking other people to be guests.

**************

I got quite a bit done yesterday. I have got to figure out how to organize my schedule so I have more days to devote to sewing. I get a lot done when I can put my head down and work without interruptions. Besides making the Burda top and hemming it and the other two, I also ran up my second muslin of the Linda pants pattern (another bike shorts version). The smaller size fits better, at least in the bengaline, which is pretty stretchy. A stretch poplin may not have as much give.

I canned pumpkin Tuesday. I cut up one of the Galeux d’Eysine pumpkins—the variety with warts on it—and that yielded nine quarts. I promised to make a pumpkin pie for the husband today.

It’s raining. I don’t have to go anywhere so I am hoping for another productive sewing day. I finished the second of my Squash Squad blocks and need to get the third one ready to embroider. I’m also trying to decide what project to take on my next trip. I am going to be gone long enough that my little Janome sewing machine will come with me. I’ll probably take some simple scrap quilting project that doesn’t require a lot of thinking or cutting.